Fundamental hermeneutical principle
Summary
The authors aim to address critical issues of cultural and historical context. Their primary focus is on the fundamental hermeneutical principle, that meaning exists within the cultural and historical of the original authors and readers. However, the main challenge with the current collection of readers is that they exist outside the culture of biblical times; thus, there is no purely objective understanding of the Bible. According to the authors a reader’s cultural and historical context triggers a habit of reading the Bible differently from people in another cultural and historical context. The main thesis of the book is “Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understanding the Bible.” Those in the western cultures are, in most cases, blind to the cultural nuances of societies living in other cultural settings take for granted. As a result, many persons in western societies miss the importance of reading biblical passages, be it informative or an account of something.
The book intentions are to help the readers to understand themselves in their cultural diversity as an introduction to approaching and reading the Bible. In three parts of the book, Richard and O’Brien identify nine issues, which lead to interpretive problems when reading the Bible. The first part describes cultural differences, which are clearly visible (above the surface), the second part discusses issues that are just below the surface, thus proving somehow hard to see and the final section explains issues which are extremely hard to recognize affecting the reader understanding of the scriptures.
In part one of the cultural differences that are above the ground, the authors conduct a comparison between mores (unquestioned beliefs in a particular culture), ethnicity, and language of the western and non-western cultures, therefore, giving us various cases in point. This helps elaborate that, cultures are different, and that their differences should be considered for support without questioning even though the scriptures may not support them. For example, the western mores incorporate thoughts that being in a marriage is better than being single, being poor is immoral, and that those playing cards are committing a sin. This supports the writer’s argument that certain mores can make one misinterpret the Bible (cite). In regard to ethnicity, the authors depict how it can define our understanding of the Bible. They give an example showing how the American pastors and scholars made assumptions that Moses’ wife was a slave woman since she was dark-skinned (African). The writers point out the fact she could have been an elite. The westerns are clearly colorblind and lack to see point that Moses married up and not down, as they perceived it. This could be what made Aaron and Miriam angry, since Cushites were highly ranked and appreciated in the ancient world ( cite). Ethnicity should thus not determine how one is treated and regarded. . Finally, the authors affirm that language was the most critical issue when it came to interpreting the Bible. The two address the fact that English as a language does not: incorporate all ancient language; it is not equivalent to Hebrew or Greek words that are original and that it lacks clarity as the writers used rich speech information that cannot be directly translated into English. A good example is seen when the word hate is used to mean to love one much less in Luke 14:26, while in the real sense, it does not mean so (cite). By reading the book, it becomes vividly clear how language, ethnic matters, as well as the social status define how a culture operates and can cause misinterpretation.
In the second part of the differences in culture that are below the surface, the authors discuss individualism, time as well as honor and shame when comparing it to the western take toward the right or wrong. In the first section of individualism, they highlight how a single person point of view (western way) may fail to concur with that of a person who sees things in a collective manner (Biblical way) (CITE). This aspect is essential when one wants to understand why words such as community, tribe, country, and the family used in the Bible and by the Indonesians, more than those of individuals are. Similarly the author’s points out how harmony in a community is conserved through shared cultures as these is the primary goal and is highly valued than self fulfillment cite. The book also notes that the western recognize sin as per individual action thus making one feel guilty. While on the other hand the community honor is highly observed to avoid shame. A good example is the adulatory story of David and Bathsheba, which is discussed at length in the Bible. As the writers completes this section, they letting the readers have a look at how cultures vary in accordance to time. Time in Greek is defined quantitatively and qualitatively (Chronos meaning sequence and Karios meaning right timing). cite The westerners’ on the other side uses clock to set their appointment, this makes the two to differ and could cause misinterpretation.(cite)
Finally, on the problems deep below the ground, Richard and O’Brian address issues pertaining to rules and responsibilities, vices and virtues, and the western culture of self-being as the center of the universe. Westerners view life whereby rules exist for relationships and that the latter wins in case of a conflict and over a biblical culture. Similarly different communities view vices and virtues differently as per the issue and according to what is right and wrong as people insist on eying the vices while neglecting the virtues teaching. The westerner often read the scripture as they compare self to the evidence in the Bible (CITE). Therefore they end up missing out on the main points of the original context, as the interpreter is much concerned with the self.
ANALYSIS
The authors, through the Misreading scriptures, give the reader an open platform to converse with their mind and soul as to how they lack cultural awareness. Through their point of view into very crucial and critical cultural principles on how they read and interpret the scripture, the authors are able to unsettle the reader’s cultural awareness. The authors are able to achieve these as they illustrate by interpreting the Bible while still managing to show the reader that their intention meant not to exegete certain texts in the Bible. In their points of view they compare spiritual concepts with those of a natural concept. They give substantial evidence based on the Bible, history, geography, or fictional stories. The evidence given shows rigid and clear consistency, contradictions, and existing gaps in their discussion are well covered towards the main objective.
One of My disagreements is the fact that the east culture is very conservative about their history and yet it is clear that they require to adopt western views, which are a bit liberal. The book lacks in its application of some principles such as those in the chapter on honor and shame versus right and wrong culture. They use the story of David and Bathsheba to derive insight. As they perceive it, David’s world was that of honor /shame and that the issue of the right /wrong was insignificance toward a guilty conscience. In essence, when they assume that the two-world co-exists they were wrong. Another example in the book is seen when elaborating on race and ethnicity; the writers fall sort when they suggest that Paul of using an ethnic slur when he stated, ‘‘you foolish Galatians!’’ in Galatians 3:1. Regardless of the shortcomings, one of the main strengths is depicted in the chapter about us finding the epic center of God’s will. Individualism is the main cause of misreading scriptures, a trait that is deeply associated with the west side of a worldview. Similarly, scriptures have been replaced by texts, which like dead men have no rights and can be used in whichever way the interpreters choose.( )
Conclusion
Certainly, the pros in this book outweigh the cons of the lame biblical interpretation. It is this fact that makes the book considerably important in the field of hermeneutics. It is clear that the writers were able to achieve their goal of unsettling the reader from cultural barriers that hinder the scripture interpretation. It is thus varied to conclude that the book will continue to invest in the modern society concerning how they interpret the Bible as it plays a significant role in raising the level of cultural awareness and social humility. Similarly, its practicability gives one the insight to further explore history and culture about biblical matters, especially that of the second temple, together with that of the ancient near east.
Bibliography
Richards, E. Randolph, and Brandon J. O’Brien. Misreading scripture with Western eyes: Removing cultural blinders to better understand the Bible. InterVarsity Press, 2012.
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Whiteman, Darrell. “Shame/honor, guilt/innocence, fear/power: A missiological response to Simon Cozens and Geoff Beech.” International Bulletin of Mission Research 42, no. 4 (2018): 348-356.
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